Shopify Product Creation from Slack: Mastering Variants with Make.com

Automating Shopify Product Creation from Slack: A Community Solution

Hey everyone! I was just digging through the Shopify Community forums and stumbled upon an interesting question from florislindeman about connecting Slack, Make.com (formerly Integromat), and Shopify for product creation. It’s a pretty common scenario – wanting to streamline your workflow and get new products up quickly. The specific issue was around adding product variants when creating products via Make.com. Let's break it down and see how we can tackle this.

The Challenge: Creating Shopify Products with Variants from Slack

Florislindeman's original question was pretty straightforward:

I want to create products starting bij a Slack note. That works through Make.com, but in Make.com I can not find the option to add Variants at the section Create Product on Shopify? Can anyone please help me with this?

Essentially, they wanted to trigger product creation in Shopify from a Slack note using Make.com as the intermediary. The hiccup? The "Create Product" module in Make.com for Shopify didn't seem to have a direct field for adding product variants. This is a common pain point when working with integrations – sometimes you need to get a little creative!

Understanding the Shopify API and Variants

Before diving into the Make.com solution, it's good to understand how Shopify handles product variants. Variants are essentially different versions of the same product (e.g., different sizes, colors, etc.). In the Shopify API, variants are treated as separate entities *associated* with a product. This means you can't just cram all the variant data into a single "Create Product" request. You need to create the base product *first*, and then create the variants *afterward*.

The Solution: A Two-Step Approach in Make.com

Here's how you can solve this using a two-step approach in Make.com:

1. Create the Base Product: Use the "Create Product" module in Make.com to create the main product in Shopify. Fill in the basic details like title, description, product type, etc. Leave out any variant-specific information at this stage.

2. Create the Variants: Use the "Create Product Variant" module (or potentially the "Update Product" module with a specific variant update action) in Make.com to create each variant associated with the product. You'll need to use the Product ID from the first step (the "Create Product" module) to link the variants to the correct product.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of step 2:

1. Get the Product ID: After the "Create Product" module runs successfully, it will output the ID of the newly created product. Store this ID in a variable or use it directly in the next module.
2. Loop Through Variants (if needed): If you have multiple variants coming from your Slack note (e.g., in a JSON format), you'll need to use a "Iterator" module in Make.com to loop through each variant.
3. Create Each Variant: Inside the loop (or if you only have one variant, directly after getting the Product ID), use the "Create Product Variant" module. In this module, you'll need to map the following:
   • Product ID: Use the Product ID obtained in step 1.
   • Price: The price for this specific variant.
   • SKU: The SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) for this variant.
   • Options: This is where you define the variant's attributes (e.g., "Color: Red", "Size: Medium"). The exact format for options might require some experimentation and depend on how your Shopify store is set up. You might need to use the "JSON" module to properly format the options data.

Important Considerations

• Data Structure: The way you format your Slack note is crucial. Ideally, you'd send the variant data in a structured format like JSON. This makes it much easier to parse and map the data in Make.com.
• Error Handling: Always include error handling in your Make.com scenarios. For example, if the "Create Product" module fails, you don't want to proceed with creating variants. Use the "Error Handler" module to catch errors and send notifications (e.g., back to Slack).
• Shopify API Limits: Be mindful of Shopify's API rate limits. If you're creating a large number of products and variants, you might need to implement delays in your Make.com scenario to avoid exceeding the limits.

While Shadab_dev's initial response in the forum thread was just asking for clarification, it highlights the importance of clearly defining your requirements when seeking help. The more specific you are, the easier it is for others to understand your problem and offer relevant solutions.

Creating products, especially with variants, through integrations like Make.com can seem tricky at first. But by breaking it down into smaller steps and understanding the underlying API, you can automate your workflow and save a ton of time. Remember to test your scenarios thoroughly and monitor them for errors. Good luck!